How long have you been in the church?

I have read this on the social media platform and guess what? It is exactly what I feel.

This message touched my heart and I think I should share with others. Pls endeavor to read it.....

The CHURCH and the WORLD!

I have not been in the church for a long time....
I was not there on the day of Pentecost...
I was not there when Brother Stephen had to endure the cruel stones of angry religious people who were mad at his biting words...
I was not present when the church rose in unison to save the head of Peter who was already in the dungeon of Herod Agrippa 2 who had silenced the first son of Zebedee among the twelve...
I was not among the congregation that listened as elders read from the handwritings of Paul, Peter or John...
I have not been in the church for a long time!

BUT!!!
I have been in the church for some time.
Long enough to see the era when the world was different from the church.
I saw the days when the world looked at the church with RESPECT and REVERENCE.
I saw the days when "BORN AGAIN" experience was the SINCERE BRIDGE through which men must cross from the world to the church.
I saw the days of "SU" revival when all truly converted people were so labelled by the world.
I saw the days when men respond to altar calls...
● NOT WITH CHEWING GUMS in their mouths but with TEARS in their eyes broken and truly submissive before the altar of God.

I have not been in the church for a long time!
BUT!!!
I saw the days when MEN OF GOD were...
● not MEN OF GOLD.
I saw the days when Reverends were not...
● LAUGHING STOCKS (FABLES) in the society but men given the honour of the God they truly represent.
I saw the days when men went to church to meet preachers and not -
● ENTERTAINERS.
I saw the days when the pulpit was not a place for...
● COMIC RELIEFS or centers of
● BUSINESS DISCUSSIONS but God's holy altars from where holy fire proceeded to consume evil works in men's lives.
I saw the days the Spirit of God would expose the secret evils of men when they came to worship and men would not dare come to His presence with SINS NOT YET REPENTED OF.
I saw the days when the church was a centre of transformation and God's workshop where men's lives were fabricated and MOLDED AFTER HIM.

I have not been in the church for a long time
BUT!!!
I saw the days when churches were not
● BUSINESS CENTRES and
● HUMAN EMPIRES.
I saw the days when humility was the hallmark of Christian service and men of God were contented with that SIMPLE LIFE OF CHRIST and will not hoodwink their hungry congregation to pay through their noses for the...
● LUXURY and EXTRAVAGANCE of PULPIT BUSINESS MEN.
I saw the days when...
● COLLECTION OF MONEY was never a means for motivating God to answer prayers.
I saw days when men pray lifting up holy hands and...
● NOT 1000 Naira notes/packs of 200 Rand notes/£50 notes in prayer meetings.
I saw days when men of God were empowered by the Holy Spirit to raise men and not trained by godless
● MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS to raise offerings.
I saw the days when...
● JESUS was the CENTRE of all MESSAGES,
● HEAVEN was the CENTRE of all FOCUSES, and
● HOLINESS was the CENTRE of all CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.

I have not been in the church for a long time!
HONESTLY,
I don't know for how long I will remain in the church on this side of eternity.
NAY,
I do not know for how long the church will remain before the harvest of her Lord.
BUT,
But my heart bleeds for the modern day church.
Oh the church of the computer age.
Nay, the church of the ICE age.
The church where men PLAY more than PRAY.
The church where HOLINESS has become a mere DENOMINATIONAL DOCTRINE.
The church where those who speak the truth are seen as extremists and biased!

I weep for the modern day church as I see SELF ADVERTS and miracle hawking in the name of ministry.
I weep as I see the church married to the world and the world enjoying the driver's seat of the church.
I weep when I see a church that is a million miles wide but less than a meter deep.

Although I have not been in the church for a long time, I weep brethren for what I see the church turning to in my generation.
I weep because this new generation do not see what I saw in the days past.

I have not been in the church for a long time!
BUT!!!
I notice everyday that the Bible is the same in every age and generation.
I have read times without number what is written in 1 Peter 2:9:
"BUT YE ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, AN HOLY NATION, A PECULIAR PEOPLE; THAT YE SHOULD SHEW FORTH THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO HATH CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELLOUS LIGHT".
I keep wondering the peculiarity of the church in today's world.

Well, I have not been in the church for a long time!
I have not been in the church for a long time.
BUT!!!
I have been there long enough to know that the Foundation of God still stands sure and also long enough to know that the Lord still knows those who are His and everyone that is named with Christ must depart from iniquity.

I have been in the church long enough to understand that not everyone that calls Jesus Lord will enter His heavenly home. For said He,
"MANY WILL SAY TO ME IN THAT DAY, LORD, LORD, HAVE WE NOT PROPHESIED IN THY NAME? AND IN THY NAME HAVE CAST OUT DEVILS? AND IN THY NAME DONE MANY WONDERFUL WORKS? AND THEN WILL I PROFESS UNTO THEM, I NEVER KNEW YOU: DEPART FROM ME, YE THAT WORK INIQUITY" (Mat 7:22-23).

Beloved,
● how long have you been in the church, and
● what gospel have you been made to believe?
I hope it is not one that will put your eternity in serious jeopardy?
Think on these things and heed the warning of God from a sincere believer.
We should always be on our knees, praying for the ministers of God, for through them are the mouth piece of God. But some are perverts thinking of their own bellies. Enriching themselve, competing as if heaven can wait for an everlasting enjoyment. They even smite the sheep, as hirelings squeezing the very life from the children of the Lord Most High which has been freely given.

I have not been in the church for a long time but I desire to be with the Master; my loving Saviour and my Lord throughout eternity. How about you. Think about this and check up your life. Are u truly one of the serious, the spiritual and the sincere. If not adjust and REPENT BEFORE IT  IS TOO LATE.

An Examination of the Book of Malachi

AN EXAMINATION OF THE BOOK OF

MALACHI

The most fashionable and most widespread teachings on tithes are supposedly based on the book of Malachi chapter three …………….

Let us now go back to Malachi 3 and track its teachings. We will start by looking at seven words I consider to be of key importance. The key words are: -

1. RETURN          Verse 7
2. ROB      Verse 8
3. TITHES Verse 8
4. OFFERINGS    Verse 8
5. BRING  Verse 10
6. STOREHOUSE Verse 10 and
7. MEAT   Verse 10

Now for a closer look of the words one after the other starting with the word return.

(1) RETURN: In verse 7 God says, ‘Return unto me, and I will return unto you.’ This expression speaks of turning back to an original position or going back to a starting point. You can only return where you once were. If you never were in Harare, you cannot return to Harare but you simply go there. So to return is to go back to a starting point or original position. It can be physical or moral. Returning physically concerns geographical locations such as Bulawayo, Mutare, New York etc. Returning morally speaks of habits, practices and ways of living. If you behave against society’s norms and then repent and start living according to those standards we say you have returned to society’s way of life.

In verse 7 God is calling his people to return to him thereby giving us an insight into the kind of relationship prevailing then between God and his people. Man had departed from God and that is why God was calling man to repentance. If it was God who had departed from man, he would have said, ‘I am returning to you so please return to me also.’ Instead God is demanding man to return to him because it was man who had strayed. Man had left God; he had departed from his original position. God was telling men to turn away from his new and adopted position and back to where God had originally put him. I call that repentance; God was demanding that man should repent.

God does not leave man in suspense guessing and speculating where he had gone wrong or where he had to return. In no uncertain terms and quite frankly, God says to his people, ‘from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them.’ Aha! So man had departed from the ways and commands of God! That was the reason for the call of repentance. God therefore wants his people to return to his ordinances. God is saying set again the standard of my law. ‘Return to me and I will return to you’ says the Lord and indeed we must return to him in keeping his ordinances again. When we return to him, he will return to us with blessings as before. When we obey him again he will bless us again. Even in our day, we must return to God, we must turn away from our greedy ways and keep again the statutes of the Lord.

Now let us look to the next word- Rob.

ROB: This is the only word I will trace down to its

original Hebrew form. It is translated from the Hebrew word, קָבַע ‘QUABA’ which means to cover (up) i.e. defraud, to rob or spoil. …….

The word refers to taking what belongs to someone by chicanery without the owner’s consent. ………. Since it is feeble man who takes away what belongs to Almighty God, I strongly feel that the word plunder, which has violent connotations, cannot be the most suitable translation of the word in these circumstances. Instead the word defraud is a more suitable paraphrase because it denotes deception rather than violence. It also denotes deprivation. Here man takes by ruse and dishonesty rather than violence. What he merely does is convert what belongs to God to his own or some other use never intended by God. For instance, instead of providing food, the tithes will be used as a bait of gaining more wealth. The children of Israel never tithed in order to obtain more fields yet we do it for the sake of prosperity. We do not tithe to provide food but to entice God for some filthy riches. In short we have converted tithes to some other uses that God never intended. If we have sowed to the flesh must we reap of the spirit?

Will a man rob God? I used to say God is too strong to be robbed by mere man but one day I discovered that man has the capacity to rob God. From the above translation of the word rob; I deduced that in Malachi 3 God was charging his people with the crime of fraud. It cannot be a crime of plunder or violent looting because then man would be too weak to pillage Almighty God. He charges the entire nation of the same crime thereby suggesting that even the priestly tribe of Levi was also part of the crime. The fact that the priestly tribe was also a partner of the crime means that something very severe had gone wrong with tithing. May be nobody was still bringing tithes at all or the Levites were taking hundred percent of the tithes converting it to their own use or something more serious that we do not know was taking place. Whatever was happening it is very evident that the people of God were depriving God His tithes.

There is another book that was written at almost the same time as the book of Malachi which may give us an insight in to what could have been happening during that time thereby explaining how the fraud was perpetrated. The Book of Malachi was written between 440 and 400 B.C whilst the Book of Nehemiah was likely written between 445 and 420 B.C. This piece of information implies that the conditions prevailing during the days of Nehemiah and Malachi were similar or both authors could have lived during the same period of time.

In chapter 4 of his book, Nehemiah describes how the elite were abusing and oppressing the needy and the vulnerable of society whilst Malachi in verse 5 of his 3^rd chapter says that God will be a swift witness against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and those who turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not the LORD of hosts. Nehemiah in his 13^th chapter from verse 5 to 10 further gives yet another description of a disturbing incident that occurred during the same period. He says that when he had been briefly away from Jerusalem, the priest took the Levites’ share from the store house and gave it to Tobiah, God’s enemy. The resultant starvation of the Levites led to their abandoning their duties. These two events suggest that it was the priests and the elite who were therefore defrauding or robing God.

Whist the priest was converting the Levite’s share of the tithe to Tobiah’s use; the elite were busy oppressing the hireling, the widow, and the fatherless, in their wages and turning aside the stranger from his right. That is how they systematically robbed God hence the message of Malachi chapter three.

The crime the nation was committing could have been a non-violent one but was a highly sophisticated cunning and possibly well-orchestrated transgression of an accounting and financial nature which demonstrated bad stewardship which resulted in the neglect of the poor in direct violation of the laws and commandments of the Lord. Are we also not guilty of the same offence? Is our tithing not fraudulent in nature? I leave you to give the answers. This is food for thought.

God actually entrusted men with His tithes so that men would distribute the tithes in accordance with the Lord’s directions. Man was only made a steward over God’s possession but because of human deceptive tendencies we often convert tithes to some other uses. The result is always a lack of food in the Lord’s house. When Israel committed this crime, God gave only one remedy in Malachi 3:7 in the words ‘return to me.’ The same applies to us today, we must return to the Lord and to the basics or face the wrath and displeasure of the Almighty.

Fraud is dirty, filthy and undesirable since it hinges on the betrayal of our own honesty and integrity. Somewhere it is written that we are God’s stewards. God does not delight in a dishonest and fraudulent custodian. Stewardship demands honesty, integrity and faithfulness and to achieve this we must remain in Christ and hold on to the statutes of the everlasting God. Since God has appointed us stewards of his tithes we must learn to distribute the same according to the Master’s plan, purpose and will.

(3) TITHES: This means one tenth. It refers to ten percent of what God has blessed us with or given us. It is this tenth of our earnings that God says belongs to Him. Tithes are God’s property over which we have been made custodians. They cannot be less or more than the ten percent. If we give less than the tenth, we will have robbed God and if we give greater than ten percent the excess won’t form part of the tithe. The tithe of the tithe referred to in the book of Numbers is ten percent of the Levite’s tithes we bring to the house of God or put in other words, a fraction of our profit after contribution of the Levite’s wage. It was this tithe of the tithes for which storehouses were built ………………………….

The above is an extract from the book Saints Made Merchandise

My friend in the Lord, now buy you own copy of the book Saints Made Merchandise and read for yourself the rest. The book is divided in to 2 sections. Section One which has 5 chapters deals with the doctrine of tithes. Section Two which has 8 chapters deals with alms giving (or charity work) and offerings. It closes with a short chapter on the purpose of prosperity. The title of the book is derived from 2 Peter 2:1-3.

The Wisdom of John 3:16

The Wisdom of John 3:16-17

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17

This scripture has been preached on and taught the most in the history of the Christian church. It is the most common verse of scripture. I will be the last person to convince that there is a single person in the church who does not know its existence. It is the most memorised verse at Sunday school, Sabbath school, kindergarten and elementary school.

I first memorised it before I could read and write. I know that many of you, like me, first memorised it before you were able to read it. This is one of those rare verses in the entire bible around which no competing or rival doctrines are based. All Christian church organisations agree in unison that this scripture teaches about the salvation of humanity.

In the midst of all this unison and agreement, how many people have taken time to critically analyse the meaning, teaching and wisdom of the scripture. To me, short as it may be, the scripture is laden with a deep reservoir and wealth of information, revelation and wisdom. It tells us deep secrets about God and his relationship with humanity. No human being will ever be able to fully excavate all this wealth of data.

The phrase, “For God…” refers to a supreme being. The God being alluded to here is not any other god but a specific being. The mere fact that the phrase is in the Christian library, it follows that the God being referred to is the Judeo-Christian God. The scripture does not refer to Buddha, Allah, or any other diet. The fact that the writer of the gospel made no effort to identify which God was being referred to in this scripture speaks volumes about Jesus Christ’s perception about gods. The Greek word used is theos (θεός), the root of which is of uncertain affinity referring to a deity, especially the supreme Divinity. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of the New Testament says that “…… the word was appropriated by Jews and retained by Christians to denote "the one true God." In the Sept. theos translates (with few exceptions) the Hebrew words Elohim and Jehovah, the former indicating His power and pre-eminence, the latter His unoriginated, immutable, eternal and self-sustained existence.”

Jesus never considered any other deity as a god hence he never identified the deity he was making reference to because as far as he was concerned there is only one God whose name is YHW (יְהֹוָה) (see Exodus 6:3). Even the apostles believed and taught this. In 1^st Corinthians 8:5&6 Paul says, “For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” Effectively, it does not matter what title or name is ascribed to any form of diet, only one God exists and it is this God whom Jesus Christ he loved the word so much.

This sole true God is the creator of all that is in existence. The prophet Jonah said that he is “the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” The apostle said, “in him we live, and move, and have our being.” Acts 17:28. Apart from him there is no other god. Whatever people may have termed gods are not gods at all. The Philistines had many gods of which Dagon was one of them. One day the Philistines defeated Israel and captured the ark of יְהֹוָה (Jehovah) which they took to the house of Dagon their god. The ark was not a god but merely a symbol of the presence of the true living God and within it was stored the laws of God. The Philistines placed the ark in Dagon’s temple beside Dagon.

Dagon was the prime deity of the Philistines and was the god of fertility. Dagon was worshiped in the more general society of Canaanite peoples, in addition to his role in the Philistine religion. He was the foremost deity in the cities of Azotus, Gaza, and Ashkelon and his celebrants depended on him for victory in war and they offered various sacrifices for his favour. He was also worshiped outside the confederacy of Philistine city-states, as in the rest of the Canaanite territories.

 The placing of the ark in the temple of Dagon by Dagon’s side was very symbolic in that had it remained there, that would have implied that Jehovah was at par with Dagon or that would have added Jehovah’s name to the list of gods who were subject to Dagon. However, to prove that Dagon was not a god, “When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again.” 1^st Sam 5:3. This was a clear sign that Dagon was no match to Jehovah. As if to confirm that Dagon was not a god, his priests set him up again and retired to bed. “But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.”

The fact that Dagon failed to defend himself proved that he was not a god. Decades before this event, an old man and his son had challenged his community when he said a god must be able to fight for himself. This time it was to do with another Canaanite god called Baal. When the people wanted to punish Gideon for destroying baa’s shrine, his father sprang to his defence. The bible says, “Then the men of the city said to Joash, "Bring out your son, that he may die, for he has torn down the altar of Baal, and indeed, he has cut down the Asherah which was beside it." But Joash said to all who stood against him, "Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him? Whoever will plead for him shall be put to death by morning. If he is a god, let him contend for himself, because someone has torn down his altar."  Therefore, on that day he named him Jerubbaal, that is to say, "Let Baal contend against him," because he had torn down his altar.” Judges 6:30-32

These incidences show that all other deities on earth are not gods because there is only one God. It is this one true God being referred to in John 3:16 as having loved the world. God is a loving God and he does not respond to our love but he initiates the love. In my book Saints Made Merchandise I write the following about his great and unwavering love.

“Love does not seek its own gain but the success of others. John 3:16 does not say that God loved the world and gave his son so that he would have worshippers or loyal followers. God gave his son so that the beneficiaries of that love would have life and have it abundantly. He gave for the purpose and profit of men and not for his own gains. If the entire human race were to perish God would not have lost anything at all but he loved us anyway. Man sinned against God but it is God who first loved man and sought reconciliation with man. Did it ever occur to you that we never loved God and probably we do not love God? Our love for God is in response to his love for us so it is his love for us that drives us to love him. Our love is responsive whilst his is not responsive. He loved us when we were still in sin and when we were still camped in the compounds of his arch enemy, the devil. Before we had regretted our sinful nature and before we had repented of our sins, Christ died for us. My friend, that is love, first class love. Today you tell me that you love God, did you ever love him before he loved you or would you do it had he not sought to reconcile you to him. Our love for him is in response to his love so we greatly need his love to operate within us.”

Get yourself a copy and read more about this love.

Because he loved man so much, he gave his only begotten son. God gave. In fact, he is the first giver hence he is the creator of giving. God does not struggle to give. Verse 17 reads, “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” His purpose for giving was not to condemn man but to save him. Jesus came for our benefit rather than God’s benefit. Man was in sin and already condemned but Jesus came to save man. It is not sinful man who sought God but rather it is a holy God who sought sinful man. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For He (God) made Him (Christ) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ).

It is written, “…. he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The open secret here is that anyone who is in sin will perish because, “the wages of sin is death.” Rm 3:23. In contrast Jesus is saying whosoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life. Believing in Christ refers to being committed to Christ or committing oneself to Christ’s trust. It talks of being totally depending on Christ regarding anything in one’s life. This is not hollow claiming and getting it but being completely depended on Christ. It is trusting on Christ completely.

The commitment that readily comes to my mind is that of the three Hebrew sons who were prepared to trust Jehovah even if it led them in to a fiery furnace. Faced with the reality of painful death by being grilled in fire the three said, “…… O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:16-18. This is total commitment. Putting your total faith and trust in Jesus Christ is the true faith. This is the trust that led Stephen to his death without an iota of complaint. A faith which says without Christ I am nothing. Remember, “… without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. Hebrew 11:6

When you believe in him you will not perish. It is an open secret that the wages of sin is death. The bible says that there is someone who is to destroy both soul and body in hell. Jesus said, “fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” Matthew 10:28. Some preachers fear or abhor teaching about this topic but the truth is that those who do not believe in Christ will someday perish but those who believe in him will have everlasting life.

God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved

God bless you

Saints Made Merchandise

There has been a lot of debate on tithes, offerings and charitable gifts. Some arguments for and against the topic are either informed or misinformed. It is unfortunate that the uniformed are the once who make the most noise. It is very important that those who debate the topic be properly schooled on the subject so that they do not poison those who listen to them. The book Saints Made Merchandise discuses the topic in a rational, sober and open manner. Get yourself a copy today to find out more. https://www.amazon.com/Saints-Made-Merchandise-Analysis-Offerings/dp/0797469141 discusses the topic in rational and open manner. Get yourself a copy to day.